Dwayne Roloson made 33 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored twice against the NHL’s best penalty-killing unit for a 4-1 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Vincent Lecavalier had two goals - including an empty-netter in the third - as the Lightning (9-7-2) won their sixth straight on home ice. Brett Connolly and Steve Downie converted with the man advantage in the second and third period, respectively.
The Penguins (11-5-3) allowed just three power-play goals in 52 opportunities coming into the game and had scored three or more goals in nine of their previous 11 contests.
The Lightning only managed 11 shots the first two periods, but that was enough to build a two-goal lead as Roloson stopped 21 shots. Lecavalier picked up a loose puck after a Jordan Staal turnover and slipped a backhand shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at 8:38 of the first for a 1-0 lead.
The Penguins outshot the Lightning 14-6 in the second period, but Roloson continued to shut the door - including a big stop on Steve Sullivan at the right post.
Connolly gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead at 4:08, deflecting a Dominic Moore shot between his legs that squirted past Fleury. Downie scored his first goal since opening night, knocking home a rebound from the slot 2:04 into the third.
Pittsburgh | Tampa Bay | |
Tyler Kennedy 1 | Points | Vincent Lecavalier 2 |
Tyler Kennedy 1 | Goals | Vincent Lecavalier 2 |
Paul Martin 1 | Assists | Marc-Andre Bergeron 1 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | Brett Connolly 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Marc-Andre Fleury .824 | Save Percentage | Dwayne Roloson .971 |
Marc-Andre Fleury 14 | Saves | Dwayne Roloson 33 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Pittsburgh | 34 | 1 | 0-7 | 4-6 | 14 | 28 |
Tampa Bay | 18 | 4 | 2-6 | 7-7 | 16 | 26 |